Spies and Lies
by Leni Ircam
Summary: Steve meets his Idol, Miles Bartlett, a real life James Bond. Things are not as they appear and secrets are revealed that will change Steve's life forever.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own anything Five-0 or CBS related. **

**Steve get's to meet his Idol, Miles Bartlett, a real life James Bond. Things are not as they appear and secrets are revealed that will change Steve's life forever.**

Steve, Danny, Chin and Kono sat in the conference room of Five-0 headquarters laughing while sipping on the coffee and Malasadas that Kono had surprised them with earlier.

"These are so good" commented Steve with his mouth full

"I am actually surprised that you are eating them" Danny remarked

"What? I eat once in a while. It's all about moderation" Steve lectured

Kono and Chin laughed.

Governor Denning approached the offices of Five-0 with determination. He was accompanied by a tall, distinguished looking man dressed in a tailored suite, complete with tie. Steve noticed the two men as they entered the suite of offices and immediately exited his office, very eager to greet them.

"Commander McGarrett, I have someone who is interested in meeting you. Commander this is…."

Steve interrupted "Lord Miles Bartlett" With a smile on his face; He extended his hand "It's an honor to meet you sir"

"Lord Bartlett is apparently a fan of yours McGarrett and has requested to meet you. He would like to spend some time with you and your team. He is interested in setting up a similar task force in London" Governor Denning spoke with pride.

_A fan of mine, how does he even know who I am?_ Steve thought

"I am honored, sir. I have heard so much about you." Steve was in awe

Danny, Chin and Kono watched from afar and were surprised at the look of awe that appeared on Steve's face.

"Is it just me, or is Steve actually drooling over meeting this guy and did you all notice…the man is wearing a tie?" Danny retorted as the others laughed trying to remain professional.

"Guys come here, Lord Bartlett this is Detective Daniel Williams, Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly, and Officer Kono Kalakaua. Guys, this is Lord Miles Bartlett. He works with British Intelligence" Steve introduced

Miles briefly acknowledged Danny and Chin, but carefully took Kono's hand and slowly brought it to his lips and kissed it. "A pleasure to meet you" He whispered as he gently released her hold.

_Oh my God, I think I am in love_ thought Kono. Danny, Chin and Steve stared as Kono had a glaze that covered her face.

"So, Lord Bartlett, what brings you to Hawaii?" Danny asked

"I was here on official business, but I have a few days before I have to return to London. I have been aware of Lt Commander McGarrett's reputation and was very eager to meet him in person."

Danny found this comment suspicious as he exchanged glances with Chin.

"Governor Denning speaks very highly of this team and I am looking forward to spending a few days, shadowing you".

Bartlett continuously looked at his phone, checking his messages.

They sat for several hours and listened to stories of some of the adventures that Miles had been on, until he finally asked Steve the question that had been on his mind since he arrived.

"So, Steve, I heard about the little adventure in Japan. How did you finally catch up with WoFat?"

Steve was stunned at the directness of the question and hesitated. Danny, Chin and Kono exchanged looks.

"It wasn't easy, but I had been after him for quite some time." Steve skirted around the answer

"I heard it was very easy, almost as if he wanted to be caught. I do have friends at Interpol and if I am not mistaken, that is who compiled your team" Miles was slightly caddy in his remark as he looked at his watch and noted the time. "If you don't mind I have a small personal matter that I must attend to, so if it is alright with you, may we continue this tomorrow morning?" Lord Bartlett was apologetic.

"Of course, anything you need. We will see you in the morning" Steve was eager to please as Bartlett exited the suite of offices.

"Of course, anything you need" Danny mimicked. "Are you kidding me? Did you just fall all over yourself over this guy? Is there something we should know Steven?" Danny was jealous "And look at Kono, she still has that dumb look on her face"

"Danny, you have no idea who this is. This is the real life, James Bond. Not a fictional character, but a guy who actually does the things that you only hear stories and rumors of. He is a legend, a real life legend. Every guy wants to be him and every woman wants to be with him. I can't believe he wanted to meet me. I can't believe we get to spend the next few days with him. I can't wait to tell Cath about this. She is going to flip out." Steve was excited

"I don't think he's that great" Chin responded "Right Kono?"

"Huh? What? Did you say something?" Kono still had this glazed look on her face.

"You didn't think it was odd that he was asking about WoFat? Apparently he knew a lot more about your little field trip than he let on. I mean how did he know about where you got your team from? I don't trust him" Danny was suspicious

"War stories, Danny. It is nothing but a war story to him. Catching WoFat is a big deal, not just for me, but for the entire intelligence community" Steve got slightly defensive.

Steve may have been satisfied with his explanation but Danny was suspicious. After his encounter with the CIA, he was not convinced that WoFat was going to be in prison for too much longer. He was sure that he had friends in high places, or worse yet, enemies in high places.

As Miles made his way across the parking lot, he proceeded to dial his cell phone. After several rings the call went directly to voicemail. "Hello darling, Lord Bartlett here again, I'm in Hawaii and I need to meet up with you. I left you several messages. You must return my call. I am staying at the Royal Hawaiian."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you for the reviews and alerts.**_

_**Note: The words in Italics are unspoken thoughts.**_

She sat on her bed with her legs crossed and stared at the cell phone that was casually tossed amongst the disheveled covers. Running her fingers through her hair, she listened as her phone rang repeatedly. _I have got to change my ringtone _she thought to herself. The phone rang every few minutes, alternating from Steve and an unknown number. She had checked her voicemail earlier and the unknown number was one that she hoped would never call her, ever.

"Uhg, what do I do, what do I do?" she shouted though she was alone. She threw her head back on one of the pillows and covered her face with another.

**2007 Dhekelia, Cyprus**

Lieutenant Junior Grade Catherine Rollins had spent the past four month's assisting in a joint collaboration between US Naval Intelligence and British Intelligence. The highly classified mission had been both exciting and tiresome, but the location was undeniably, one of the most beautiful islands in the world. Her unique technical and language skills were why she was chosen for this assignment. She was also given the honor of working with the legendary Lord Bartlett. He was very handsome and his charm was unmatched, but he had also slept with every woman on the base; that she was sure of. She was not going to allow herself to become another name in his little black book. She had no need to; she had a man that was just as handsome and charming, Lieutenant Steve McGarrett.

"Darling, please just one meal. It is our last evening on this Island and it would be my pleasure to treat you." Miles Bartlett was sure that if he could get her to let her guard down with him, he would be able to finally conquer the only woman to ever refuse him.

"Nope, not going to happen, and it's not Darling, sir" Catherine wanted to be firm, but respectful.

"I promise, I do not bite. It is just dinner. I will not expect anything else. You have done a wonderful job and I would like to thank you personally" he retorted with a smile

She thought long and hard as she looked at him. _Damn why does he have to be so damn hot?_ "Okay, but just dinner" _what's the harm in having dinner?_

_**Present day**_

Steve sat in his office and frantically dialed his phone. "Come on Cath answer the phone" He was impatient and he couldn't wait to tell her about what happened today. After the fifth time dialing, he put his phone in his pocket and grabbing his keys, he exited his office.

Catherine had begun to fall asleep, an alternative to having to think about what was happening, when there was a knock at her door. The knock was one she recognized and after taking a moment to compose herself she answered.

"Hi" He smiled

"Hi" she smiled back. Her hair was disheveled and the Navy SEAL T shirt draped over her body, gently falling off her shoulder on one side. "Come in"

"I've been trying to call you, why didn't you answer?" His eyes scanned the small apartment to make sure that she was alone.

She noticed "There is no one else here, Steven." She was slightly annoyed at his mistrust "I guess I fell asleep"

Relieved that she was alone, he walked to her kitchen, retrieved a bottle of wine and two glasses. "You are not going to believe who I met today" without giving her a chance to answer "Miles Bartlett! Can you believe it? Oh Cath it was so cool. He is exactly like everyone says. I thought Kono was going to drop her panties right there in the office" he laughed

"Wow, that's great. You finally got to meet your idol." She didn't sound too excited.

"You have got to come by the office tomorrow and meet him. Cath, he is so amazing and he could do so much for your career. You have no idea" Steve was convinced

_No, you have no idea, _she smiled. "I sort of have a lot of things to do tomorrow." She needed an excuse to avoid Miles.

_**2007**_

"Admit it, that was the best meal that you had ever had" Miles spoke softly as he guided a barefoot Catherine across the rocks.

"It was amazing and this view is even better" She smiled

Miles had taken her to a local Taverna so that she could experience the local cuisine. The food and wine was abundant and Catherine hated to admit that she was actually having a good time. Music filled the air and the sound of the Sea crashed along the rocks that made up the shoreline.

They sat quietly and watched the moonlight reflect off the water. "Are you cold?" He asked as he removed his jacket and covered her bare shoulders. He moved closer to her and placing his arm around her, he leaned in and kissed her. She responded to his kiss and then suddenly she pushed him away and jumped up. Removing his jacket, she threw it at him and demanded that they return to base immediately. He refused and standing up, he approached her.

"Darling, we had a beautiful evening, don't ruin it now" He reached to grab her arm.

"I have to go" she shouted and grabbing her shoes, she ran off.

He chased after her, grabbing her arm, preventing her from escaping. "You felt that, didn't you?" He pulled her closer and kissed her again. Placing her hands on his chest, she pushed him back. "I can't, I won't. I have a …"

He interrupted her "yes, yes, yes, I know all about you boyfriend McGarrett, the Penguin"

"He's a SEAL" She corrected him

"SEAL, Penguin, what's the difference? He is not me and you know I can do so much more for you. "He tightened his grip

"Stop" she pushed against him harder. "Let go of me. I will not be another one of your conquests"

His hold increased again "You are different." Realizing that he was hurting her, he released his grip. "I have feelings for you, Darling. You can't tell me that you don't feel the same. These past months have been smashing and I couldn't let you go back to the States without telling you" His tone had become very serious and she wasn't sure if he was sincere or if this was another one of his tactics.

"I'm sorry, I have to go" She took off running full speed into the darkness.

It was late and she found herself walking along a deserted road on her way back to the base. Tears flowed down her face and she was grateful that there was no one there to see her. She knew better than to let herself get into a situation like that, she knew his reputation but she fell into the trap anyway. _Damn him. _ As she walked, lost in thought, lights approached. It was a military jeep complete with a group of very loud soldiers. They stopped when they noticed her. She was unsure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. She knew that this could go two ways. They may be a nice group of guys that are stopping to help a lady in distress, or they could be a group of drunken soldiers looking for a good time.

"May we help you ma'am?" The driver asked

Noticing the American accent "You're US?" She asked

"Yes, Ma'am. US Navy" He answered

"Oh Thank God, Lt Junior Grade Rollins. Can I get a lift sailor?" Catherine felt a sigh of relief

"Of course ma'am" The largest and youngest of the sailors leaned forward and stared at her.

"Is there a problem Ensign?" Catherine glared at him

The other sailors began laughing.

"What the hell is so funny? And may I remind you that I outrank all of you!" she demanded

They immediately stopped laughing "Nothing Ma'am, it's just that we just got here today and we only have one night here until we fly out tomorrow."

"And why is that funny?" She was not having a good night and was not in the mood to play games with a bunch of drunken sailors.

"It's just that our C.O. wouldn't come out with us tonight, because he is at the base looking for his girlfriend" They all started laughing again

"And?" Catherine was beyond annoyed at this point.

"Well, Ma'am our C.O. is Lt. McGarrett. We think he's looking for you" They once again laughed hysterically.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Keep the reviews coming please.**_

Danny found it odd that Bartlett had requested to meet McGarrett. Lord Miles Bartlett was supposedly a super spy, so why the need to pick McGarrett's brain on how to operate a task force? The questions were eating at Danny as he slept and he soon found himself driving to HQ in the middle of the night. He needed to do some investigating on his own. He stood at the smart table and stared at the minuscule amount of information that appeared before him. _Of course why would I think that I would be able to simply gather anything that wasn't common knowledge? _ After placing several phone calls to contacts that he had made over the years, one of which was Rachel's cousin, who worked at Interpol, he was finally able to begin to put some pieces together. He could find no connection to any McGarrett, Joe White, or WoFat. Those were his first worries. Bartlett's official file was locked and classified. Staring at the screen, the words "Access Denied" screaming at him in bold red letters, simply increased his curiosity. His instincts told him that there was something suspicious about this guy and it wasn't because he was a spy. Reaching for his phone, he dialed.

"It's the middle of the night and you called the wrong phone" Catherine answered sleepily

"Sorry to wake you, but I need your help. I can only guess that Steve is there with you so don't tell him it's me you are talking to" Danny was not really sorry. He knew that he would be waking her up.

This grabbed her attention as she suddenly sat up and carefully got out of the bed. She made her way into the living room, carefully closing the door behind her, not to wake Steve as he slept soundly.

"What's wrong Danny?" she asked cautiously

"I have a classified Interpol file that I need to get into. Can you hack it?" Danny asked as if it were a simple thing to do.

"You want me to open a classified Interpol file? How the hell am I supposed to do that? And whose file is it?" Catherine was dumbfounded at the request.

"It's that Bartlett dude. There is something off about why he is here. I need to check him out" Danny sounded concerned and desperate.

"Drop it, Danny" Catherine ordered

"I can't drop it" He argued

"Take my word for it. Drop it. Bartlett is way out of your league and no one can access his file." She demanded

"I think he's here to hurt Steve. Don't you care enough about him, to at least investigate this guy?" he tried the guilt card

"Not gonna work Danny. There is no need to investigate him. He is not here for Steve. You are just going to have to take my word for it" She hung up before Danny had a chance to answer.

"Who is he here for, Cath?" Steve stood in the doorway with his arms crossed and a very suspicious look on his face.

Catherine spun around in surprise. She did not hear him open the door and had no idea he was standing there. _Damn him and his Ninja skills._

"How long have you been standing there?" Catherine needed to create a diversion. _I'll start a fight. That always works. _

"Long enough. Why is Danny calling you in the middle of the night and why are you so sure about Miles?" Steve questioned with a hint of disdain

"You don't trust me, your spying on me. Ease dropping on my conversations? It doesn't concern you, so if you don't trust me, maybe you should just leave?" She demanded. _Come on, come on, get mad and leave. I'll deal with you later._

"I am not going anywhere until I get some answers and picking a fight isn't going to work this time" Steve knew what she was trying to do

_Damn!_ She threw the phone that she was still holding in her hand on the table and sat on the couch, clutching a pillow in her arms "he's here to see me" she said in defeat.

Steve approached and sat next to her, folding his legs beneath him he turned to face her "Go ahead, I am listening"

**2007**

"_Steve what are you doing here?" _ Catherine was surprised to find out that Steve was there, on the Island and looking for her.

"We are just passing through and a little birdie told me you were here, so I thought maybe we could have dinner" he grinned and raised an eyebrow. They both knew that food was not what he had in mind.

He moved in closer to her, reaching out for her arm, he retrieved a bracelet from his pocket. "I have a present for you" Carefully wrapping it around her wrist, he turned her arm around to fasten the clasp, when he noticed the bruises on her arms. "Cath, what happened?"

"Oh this, this is nothing, I am fine. Is this a seal?" she commented on the charm that dangled.

"Something to remind you that I am always here, but you never answered my question. Where did the bruises come from?" he asked again with concern

"It's nothing really" she dismissed his concern pulling him closer to her "Thank you, its beautiful".

"You are not a very good liar and stop changing the subject. What happened, why were you wandering around off base, by yourself? You're lucky it was my guys that picked you up" He pulled away and looked her in the eyes.

_Think, think, think_. "I thought since it was my last night here, I would get a bite to eat in the village. You know check out the local lifestyle a little, and I couldn't get a ride back" _there that should do it_.

"Did someone try to hurt you? Those are fresh bruises. Cath tell me I'll go track them down and…"

"Whoa, slow down there sailor. It was nothing, just a local boy who got a little out of control. I took care of it. There is no need to start any trouble. Remember we are on a British base in a foreign country. I am ok, it's no big deal. Promise. Now what do we do about my roommate?" She approached him and placed her hands around his waist, speaking as she gently brushed her lips against his.

"I already took care of her. "He said in a smug tone

Catherine backed away "oh you did, did you?"

"Oh no! I set her up with one of my guys. "He grabbed her closer and pushed her onto the bed.

_**Present day**_

"That doesn't answer my question." Steve remembered the incident quite clearly but couldn't understand what that had to do with Bartlett.

"I lied to you that night. That assignment was with Bartlett and he was who I was having dinner with. He's the one who put those bruises on my arms" She paused waiting for a response

Steve got up and paced the room. "He hurt you? What else did you lie to me about?" He changed his tone and knelt down next to her. "Did he…?"

"No" Cath interrupted. "No that's it, Really. We were working together and he was constantly making advances at me. I should have never agreed to go to dinner with him. He made some advances and I turned him down. I didn't do anything to encourage it. He tried to contact me a few times after that, but eventually he gave up and I never heard from him again" _damn I hate lying to you_ "I swear I never heard from him again until this week"

"Ok. I guess Miles and I need to have a little talk" Steve was angry

"No, Steve, just drop it. I am a civilian now. I don't need to talk to him and I don't have to. You are still in the reserves and the Governor expects you to be cordial. He's here for what, 1 or 2 more days, just pretend that nothing has changed. He'll go away and things will be just like normal" she insisted.

'You're not keeping anything from me are you Cath?'" Steve could tell that there was more to this story than what she was telling him.

Catherine slowly approached him and placing her hands around the nape of his neck, she kissed him. "I love you and I would never do anything to jeopardize that. Who needs Miles Bartlett, when I have Steve McGarrett all to myself?" She planted a feverish kiss on his lips and guided him hurriedly towards the bedroom.

_Now I know that she's lying to me, _thought Steve.

**_What is Catherine hiding from Steve?_ **


	4. Chapter 4

_**Cargument!**_

"So tell me why are we sitting here doing surveillance on your girlfriend's apartment?" Danny questioned

"She's lying to me and I need to know why" Steve stared out the window of the silver Camaro

"I thought you said that you trusted her more than you trust me"

"I do" Steve looked at Danny as he answered

"If this is how you show how you trust her, than I hate to know what you do to me. I am surprised you didn't bug her place."

"I did" Steve answered as a matter of fact

"What? Are you kidding me? That my friend is not trust." Danny's hands flew as he questioned Steve's motives

"There is something going on and it has to do with Miles. She knows him and she never said anything until I caught her talking to you last night. She left out that bit of information, which tells me that she is hiding something."

Danny hesitated, but asked anyway "Do you think that she is sleeping with him?"

"No, I am sure she isn't, but I think that she is working with him."

"Wait a second, how could you be so sure that she isn't sleeping with him?"

"I just know, I told you I trust her."

"Yet, you bugged her apartment and you are sitting here, doing surveillance on her."

"It's hard to explain. I always felt as if she was hiding something, but it's part of the job. This time it's different. You just have to trust me." Steve was finding it difficult to explain his intentions.

"You see, there is that word again. I think that you need to look up the meaning, because you my friend are not a trusting person."

"I am a very trusting person"

"I beg to differ"

Steve nodded towards the complex "See, there he is. He is heading straight for her apartment."

The knock on the door was one she did not recognize. Cautiously Catherine checked the peephole and discovering that it was Miles, she hesitated but did open the door.

"What do you want Miles?" she snapped

"Hello Darling" he leaned in to give her a kiss as she backed away.

"What are you doing here?" She looked around to make sure no one had followed him and grabbing his arm, pulled him in to the apartment.

"I was sent here to make sure that you complete the job." His eyes scanned her body

"I told them that it is going to be more difficult, given the situation, but the job will get done." Catherine was confident in her response

"Then you have nothing to worry about, do you?" Miles paced around the small apartment and picked up a photo of Catherine and Steve. "What do you think your Prince Charming would say if he knew what you really do?"

"He will never find out, will he? This is my last job and I am done." She resented his threat

"I surely hope that your loyalty to McGarrett doesn't get in the way" he was doubtful

"It won't. "She paused "I will do the job and you will get the credit as usual. I wonder what Dee would say if she knew how many times I saved your ass and how many of your successes where actually mine?"

"Are you threatening me? I surely hope you are not" Miles glared as he approached her

Catherine regretted the statement the second the words escaped her lips "I am not threatening you. I am telling you that you need to back off. I will do the job and then I am done. Don't worry your precious reputation will remain in tack, regardless how contrived it is"

"That's IF you get the job done. I cannot tell you how imperative it is. National Security depends on it, your life depends on it" He was serious. "It's a shame that you will no longer be working with me. I have never seen anyone with skills like yours." A sad expression appeared on is face "I will miss you" His voice trailed off and he approached her. Reaching for her hand he carefully lifted it to his lips and kissed it. It was slow, it was deliberate and it was loving. "Don't fail, Darling."

"I won't, I never do. " She responded "By this time tomorrow, it will all be over. I will be free and you will be out of my life." She carefully backed away

**2009**

"You may go in, Lieutenant" A young woman escorted Catherine through the large double doors.

She was greeted by a distinguished woman most likely in her early sixties. She stood tall and her dark hair was sprinkled with shades of gray. He piercing blue eyes had a familiarity to them and Catherine could swear that she had met this woman before. "Thank you for meeting with us Lieutenant Rollins. You come highly recommended and after reading your file, I have come to the conclusion that we could use your expertise within our organization. We have an offer for you"

Catherine responded in confusion, noticing that Miles Bartlett was also in the room. "I don't understand. Why am I here?"

"I trust you remember Lord Bartlett. He has recommended you for a position with our agency. Apparently you had made a lasting impression on him and your superiors." The older woman looked at Miles as he lowered his eyes. "We had noted that you are very skilled in sharp shooting; the highest marks in your training class. A skill which we feel is wasted within your Intelligence work. We have cleared our offer with your superiors and from this point forward, you will be working with us on a need to know basis. You will continue to work for United States Naval Intelligence, but will be occasionally called upon to assist us."

"Do I get a choice in this?" Catherine was not pleased with this. She enjoyed her Intelligence work and attributed her shooting skills to the many hours spent with Steve at the gun range.

Miles and the woman looked at each other and smiled "I am sorry, did you think this was a request? No you do not have a choice. I cannot stress enough how important your discretion is in this assignment. This is highly classified and no one can know about this. Do you understand Lieutenant?" The woman was stern and Catherine had to admit she felt threatened.

"Yes, Ma'am. I do. It would be my honor to serve." Catherine voice was obviously shaken "If I may speak freely?" She hesitated but had to say something. "I know you, I have seen your photo, but when you were younger. I never forget a face, but… that's impossible, I thought you were… I mean how are you still…"

Without acknowledging her realization the woman interrupted "Lieutenant… my identity must also remain secret. That is of the upmost importance. I am aware that this may be most difficult for you, that is another reason why you have been chosen, but I trust that your security clearance has not been earned in vein."

"Yes, Ma'am, of course" Catherine bit her lip as she tried to make some sense of all this

Present

"Did she just threaten him? " Danny turned to Steve with surprise and concern for Catherine

"I believe she did" Steve responded with no emotion

"I may not know anything about this spy stuff, but that can't be good" Danny was worried

"No, it's not." Steve continued to stare out the window

"Well I can see why you and Ramboette get along so well, she has no filter on her mouth just like you." Danny rubbed his unshaven chin.

Steve turned to face Danny "This isn't funny, Danny. Once she does whatever it is she is supposed to do, he is going to want to tie up loose ends. I want 24 hr. surveillance on her." He demanded

"Ok, I'll get Kono on it. So what do we do now?" Danny asked as Steve stared out the car window.

"We wait and follow her" Steve was clearly upset.

Danny could see that Steve doubted his trust in her and that he was clearly disappointed. "So do you know what her special skill is?" Danny smirked

"She has many skills Danny" Steve raised his eyebrows and smirked

"Oh, I am sure she does" Danny waited a moment and commented on something that had peeked his curiosity since the incident with Nick Taylor a year ago "Since we are on the topic of special skills, you never told me what you did in the SEALs. You said that you had a special skill, but you never told me what it was"

"You know that I can't tell you, Daniel, Its classified. Telling you would be a breach in National Security and hazardous to your health" Steve was in full Navy mode

"Oh, so you want to tell me, but you can't tell me, yet I am supposed to trust you anyway?" Danny smirked

"I see what you did here, but this is different" Steve got defensive

"No it's not. If she is working with this Bartlett guy and he is as important as you say, then maybe she really can't tell you. Did that ever occur to you?" Danny was smug in his response to Steve

Steve simply turned and stared at Danny. Taking a deep breath, he realized that Danny had a point and that perhaps he was judging her unfairly. "I guess we will just have to find out and take it from there"


	5. Chapter 5

_**I am sorry that it has been a while since my last post, but I am on vacation in Hawaii!. This has been my first chance to get on the internet and I thought I would go ahead a post the next chapter. And before anyone asks…. No I have not seen any of the Five-0's. But I have two days left so you never know. Despite the lack of sightings I am still having a great time. Enjoy this chapter.**_

The sun was barely peering over the horizon. Catherine had been awake for hours and was carefully preparing for her final assignment. She wore black leggings, a black T-shirt and her combat boots. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and her hands were draped in gloves. Peering out the window, she couldn't help but notice the red Cruze that was parked just at the end of the block. The surfboard rails on the roof made her recognize it as Kono's. She couldn't believe that she was being spied on by Five-0. Normally she would have felt betrayed, but Steve had every reason not to trust her and that was a problem that she would need to address. This would have to wait until everything was completed. Carefully and stealthily she made her way out of the back exit of the building. A Black SUV was strategically parked next to the exit, waiting for her. _Thank you Miles._ Her car would remain in the parking lot, for anyone watching to see. She managed to make her way out of the complex undetected and was sure that Kono had no idea that she had ever left her apartment_. A perfect alibi_.

_**Later that morning**_

Steve was awake earlier than usual and had decided that a morning swim was what he needed to clear his head and decide what he was going to do about the situation that was engulfing his thoughts. He knew that Catherine was lying to him and hiding things from him. He knew that most likely it was classified and that is why she couldn't tell him. The thing that bothered him the most was that she was working with Miles Bartlett and she never told him. She knew that he admired Miles and looked up to him, yet she chose to keep this secret. Steve just couldn't understand why. He stood in the kitchen of his house and pondered his thoughts. The sound of the phone beeping released his trance. A single text message appeared "We need to talk, come by my place after work. Love you no matter what. Cath" He smiled at the message regardless of the seriousness of the impending conversation. She always ended her texts and messages with "love you no matter what".

Just as he put the phone down and started to walk toward the stairs, his phone rang. "McGarrett… What? ...How is that possible?... don't touch anything , I will be right there." He hung up and ran up the stairs to get dressed.

Steve's truck, Danny's Camaro and Kono's Cruz all arrived at the same time. Chin was talking to Duke, the Governor and Max as they stood over WoFat's body. Three guards were sitting on the bay of an ambulance and police officers covered the crime scene.

"What the Hell happened!" Steve shouted at Duke

Max looked up from the body and responded "Single gunshot wound to the forehead. From the angle of the wound I would say that the shot came from there" He pointed to the top of the crater that shadowed the prison.

"That's impossible. That precise a shot could not have come from that distance" Chin was in disbelief

"The guards said that there was just a single shot. The killer just took one shot. That is some skillful sharpshooter." Kono sounded impressed

"I want a full report. I must say that I am not completely disappointed to have this man rid from my Island and honestly I don't want too many man hours wasted on this investigation. Whoever did this, did the taxpayers a favor" The Governor announced.

"Do you have any idea what I went through to capture him alive? He had vital information that the Government needs. That was the whole reason for his transport to Gitmo. And now a sharpshooter, on prison property, just takes him out. Whoever is responsible for this is going to pay" Steve was very upset.

"Listen, Steve, there is nothing that you can do about this, so please calm down" Danny

"Do not tell me to calm down!" he shouted as he paced

"I think I know who is behind this." Danny's voice remained calm

"What?" Steve paced

"I never told you this, but WoFat was a CIA informant and my guess is that they did not want anyone to know that the CIA was in bed with a gun running murderer. My guess is that they took advantage of him being transported to get rid of him once and for all" Danny explained

"You never felt the need to tell me this? I trusted you Danny. I should have known this" He pointed his finger at Danny. Danny flinched afraid that Steve may hit him in his tirade.

"Well, there is that word again. Like you trusted me, when you took off after him and chose not to tell me? Is that part of your trust?" Danny returned the gesture

"We talked about that. I couldn't tell you." Steve began to pace again, this time with a more subdued, almost guilty expression.

"Fine" Danny shouted

"Fine" Steve shouted back "And you" he directed his anger towards Kono "I told you to stay put outside of Cath's place"

"There is an HPD cruiser there. She hasn't left all night" Kono carefully responded. Steve was upset and the last thing she wanted to do was get in his line of fire.

Steve and Danny stormed off in different directions. Danny approached Max and the Governor, while Steve and Chin proceeded to the overlook where the shot presumably came from.

"There is nothing here" shouted Chin as he scoured the muddy edge of the cliff. "Steve, did you find something?"

Steve was crouched down on the ground, holding an object in his hand. Rubbing the shiny object between his fingers he responded "No, it's nothing" he placed the object in his shirt pocket.

_**Meanwhile**_

Catherine had managed to sneak back into her apartment the same way she got out. She left the car in a parking lot down the street and had notified Miles to dispose of it. She was confident she completed her task completely undetected and that there was no evidence to tie her to any of it. She knew that Five-0 was surely racing their way to the crime scene but she did not want to take any chances. She immediately stripped the dirt covered clothes off of her and placed them in the washer to be cleaned later. Turning the water of the shower on as hot possible, she entered, letting the water cover her body. Her skin was burning and her pigment had become a shade of red against her white skin. She was in pain, both physically and emotionally, but somehow, she didn't care. Grabbing a bath sponge and soaking it in suds, she scrubbed her body, almost to the point of drawing blood. She tried desperately to scrub the dirty feeling from herself. Unfortunately for her, the feeling was not going to be dissolved by showering.

She exited the shower into to the steam filled bathroom and grabbing a towel from the rack, she dried herself off and wrapped the towel around herself. She crawled into her bed and ignoring the sunlight that peered through the shade on the window, she buried herself in the covers and cried herself to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thank you again for the reviews and alerts. Keep them coming.**_

Catherine awoke in a startled state. She had fallen asleep and now it was mid-evening and she was starving. She got out of bed, removed the towel that covered her body and proceeded to get dressed. Grabbing a pair of running shorts and a tank top she proceeded to the kitchen to see what she could throw together for dinner. Steve would surely be on his way and a good home cooked meal always seemed to calm him down.

She opened the refrigerator door and carefully removed some fresh vegetables_. Stir fry sounds good right about now, _she thought to herself. As she reached for the cutting board, the door burst open and to her surprise stood Miles Bartlett, holding a gun and pointing it directly at her, Catherine froze in her place.

"What are you doing? I did it, he's dead. Why are you here and why are you pointing a gun at me?" Catherine was frightened for her life

"I cannot take any chances that you will talk. I am sorry Darling, but that threat you made was all too real. I cannot risk it. I can't take a chance that you will give me up. I have a reputation and I will not allow you to tamper with that. I am "The" Lord Bartlett and I am not going to allow you to take that away from me. I have no choice but to do this" He raised the gun and aimed.

"You won't get away with this. Dee and Steve will not let you get away with this" Catherine stood straight and closed her eyes. She had no way of escaping and had realized that she put herself in this situation. She was prepared to die with dignity.

The gun went off and a force stronger than she had ever felt hit her body, knocking her to the ground. Her head hit the tile floor with full force and the sound of gunfire echoed in her ears. Suddenly there was silence and her body felt heavy. She could hear shallow breaths and the feel of a slowing heartbeat.

"Cath? Can you hear me?" Her mind slowly began to focus.

"Steve?" As she became more aware of her surroundings she realized that it was Steve who was on top of her and it was his breath and heartbeat that she was registering. She quickly sprang into action. Gently rolling him off of her, she placed him on his back. The gun he held dropped from his fingers and landed on the floor next to him. Her hands quickly took survey of his body, discovering the bullet hole in his abdomen. She immediately placed her hands on the womb and pressed as hard as she could to stop the bleeding.

"Cath. Is Miles dead? Make sure he is dead" She could barely make out what he was saying

"Yes, he's dead. Why? Why would you do something so stupid? Didn't they teach you not to jump in front of a speeding bullet? You are not superman" she looked longingly into his eyes while still putting pressure on his wound.

The sound of sirens echoed the area as police cars, and ambulances raced their way to her complex.

"My pocket, check my pocket" Steve whispered breathlessly

Catherine slowly reached into his shirt pocket and retrieved a small gold charm in the shape of a Seal. She immediately checked her bracelet and noticed the broken clasp that dangled.

"Where did you find this?" She asked knowing that it must have fallen off during her assignment earlier that morning

"It doesn't matter. I found it and no one else knows" He closed his eyes squeezing them tightly as the pain penetrated his body

"I am so sorry. Steve please stay with me, help is on the way. They should be here any second. I will turn myself in. I never meant to put you in this position. Why would you take this bullet for me? I wish you wouldn't always have to be the Hero. You always have to one up everyone." Tears were flowing from her eyes as she leaned in and gently kissed his lips.

"Don't tell anyone it was you. Don't say anything." He gasped for breath and whispered "I love you no matter what." Closing his eyes, he slowly lost consciousness.

"No! Wake Up!" Catherine shouted

At that moment the paramedics entered and pushing her out of the way, began to work on him

Immediately following them, Danny came running into the room. Assessing the situation, he looked directly at her and shouted "What did you do? What the Hell did you do?"

Catherine was shaking beyond control and dropped to the floor. Crawling her way to the corner of the room, she raised her knees to her chest and clutched them with her blood drenched hands. She bowed her head into her knees and cried hysterically as the paramedics and police invaded her home.

Kono entered the apartment frantically and approached Danny. "What happened? Is Steve going to be ok?"

"I don't know! Why don't you ask her?" He pointed to Catherine as she sat in the corner, folded in a fetal position, crying hysterically. "This is all her fault. If Steve dies…"

"Shut up Danny! Do you even hear what you are saying?" Kono slowly approached Catherine and sat down next to her "Catherine, are you ok?" She was in a trance like state "It's me Kono" Kono took her hand and gently lifted her up to stand "Why don't we get you cleaned up and I'll take you to the hospital to see Steve, ok?" Kono gently held her in her arms and guided her into the bathroom where she carefully placed her hands in the sink and gently washed the blood from them. Retrieving a shirt from the drawer, she removed the blood stained one that she wore and covered her with the clean one. Tossing the blood stained shirt into the washer, she noticed the black clothes that were in there, covered with dirt, waiting to be washed. She looked at Catherine, realizing what was happening, and with no hesitation; she pressed the button marked "wash" and closed the washer lid. Kono then took a wet towel and slowly wiped Catherine's face clean. The coolness of the water on her face helped her slowly regain her composure and she began to return to full awareness.

"There, is that better?" Kono gently held Catherine's shoulders as she continued to wipe her face dry.

Catherine nodded "yes, thank you Kono." She paused and with her eyes clenched shut she asked "Is Steve ok?"

"I don't know, the medics took him to Queens. Let's go, I'll drive you" Kono held Catherine's hand as they proceeded to exit the apartment.

As if in slow motion, Catherine couldn't help but notice the blood covering the floor. Miles' body was still lying there as a police photographer took photos of the crime scene. Bloody bandages covered the area where Steve once laid. Blood was splattered everywhere. Those were not the images that would haunt her most, the death stare that Danny directed at her, would. She could feel the hatred from across the room. As she hesitated, Kono tugged at her arm. "Let's go. There is nothing here you need to see"


	7. Chapter 7

Danny stood at the nurses' station in the emergency room and methodically tapped his fingers on the counter.

"Detective, I told you earlier, that isn't going to get you the information any faster. As soon as The Commander is out of surgery, we will let you know. Now if you would please have a seat, we would all greatly appreciate it" The nurse behind the counter was very annoyed with him.

"Fine. Thank you." Danny responded in a curt manner. He started to walk to the waiting area when he noticed a small figure of a woman sitting on a chair with her legs crossed and her head leaning against the wall. Her eyes were open, but her expression was void of any emotion. She sat with a blank stare. Danny carefully approached her, then changing his mind, he walked away. He wanted to apologize, but didn't know how. After several minutes he decided that he would try to approach her again.

"Catherine. Hey, you ok? Can I get you anything?" He asked in a whisper

"No. I am not OK and no, you can't get me anything" She snapped

"Hey, I am trying to be nice here" He snapped back

"You don't have to be nice to me. I know you hate me. So let's just leave it at that"

"I don't hate you. I am sorry. It's just that…" He hesitated

"It's just what, all my fault? Yeh, Danny I know, it's all…my…fault!" she jumped out of the chair and stormed out side to the Ambulance bay

Danny ran after her and found her sitting on a bench that was clearly put there for the smokers

"Catherine, no one is blaming you. I just don't know what happened. He knew something was going on with Miles, but why was he trying to kill you. What is going on?" Danny reached over gently and touching her chin with his hand he turned her face to look at him.

Running her hand through her hair and wiping her tears with her other, she turned her body to face Danny directly. "I can't tell you it's…."

Danny interrupted "Classified! Let me guess it's fucking classified!"

"Yes, Danny, it's classified. I can tell you that Steve was not supposed to be involved in this at all and now he might die because of my secrets. And that's not the half of it. I have one more that he needs to know. That he needs to know before he dies. He can't die without knowing this." She grabbed Danny's hand and squeezed.

"First of all he is not going to die. The doctor said no vital organs were hit, that once the wound is repaired, he should be as good as new. Now can you please tell me what the hell is so important? What the hell do you know? Who are you? Are you his friend, his girlfriend, a spy? Who are you really?" Danny shouted pulling his hand away from hers, as he stood up.

She hesitated and after thinking about the events of the day and how Steve will need Danny's support, she decided that she would tell him what he needed to know. _Emphasis on need to know._ "Sit down Danny"

Danny noted the sudden seriousness of her tone and sat down facing her directly.

"Has Steve ever told you how we got together?" She asked

"He said that you worked Naval Intelligence together" Danny answered calmly

"We did, but we were just coworkers. He tried to get me to go out with him, but there was no way that I was going to risk my career for him and besides, my brother Tony, was on his SEAL team, so that wasn't going to work either. Well, you see they got assigned a mission that was supposed to be easy, a low risk, easy in and out, mission. Commander White thought that this would be the perfect opportunity for Steve to take command and prepare him for his next step." She hesitated and a small smile erupted from her face "He said that this was his chance to spend time with Tony and get embarrassing Intel about me. He figured he would use that as blackmail, so that I would go out with him" the smile disappeared as she began to chew at her lower lip

**2006**

"Oh my God, what happened?" She opened the door to find the young Lt Steve McGarrett standing before her covered in mud and blood.

He gently reached out to her "I wanted to be the one to tell you. I didn't want you to hear it from anyone else" Steve stuttered as he spoke

As the words left his mouth, Catherine immediately went into a panic "Tony! Where is Tony? No please, not him, not him!" she shouted as she pounded her fists on his chest.

He reached his arms around her and held her tightly as she wept. "I am so sorry Cath, I am so sorry"

**Present time**

"He stayed with me all night and the next and the next. He flew home with me to bury him and he never left my side. When we were on different assignments, thousands of miles apart, he always found a way to get in touch with me. He never told me what really happened that day, but I can only guess that he blames himself for it. One of the guys told me that he carried Tony's body for 6 miles in the jungle because he refused to leave him behind. Somewhere down the line we fell in love " She got up and paced

"Danny, you see, our relationship is the product of his guilt. Steve thinks that he needs to protect me, because he failed to protect Tony. And now I get to go in there and break his heart and tell him something that will shatter his entire existence. All he wanted to do was protect me and all I've done is betray him" she stared at Danny waiting for him to lash out at her.

"I have no idea what it is that you are going to tell him, but I do know that he loves you. He told me that he loves you and he trusts you more than he trusts me. Did you try to hurt him? Did you do whatever it is on purpose? I can't imagine that you did. I have seen you guys together and everyone around you knows that the feelings you have for each other are real." Danny paused "Whatever it is that you think you did to him, I suggest that you tell him why and give him a chance to forgive you. " Danny rubbed his chin "Catherine, if there is one thing that I have learned about him is that if he has a loyalty to someone, he always finds a way to forgive them. " He approached her and grabbed her shoulders "Whatever it is that you need to tell him, the prospect of losing you would be more devastating to him. I don't know what I could do to help him if he loses you"

"I appreciate what you are saying, but I know that he will never forgive me for this. When he's out of surgery and can have visitors, I am going to say what I have to say and I am going to move on to the next chapter of my life, because this one sucks, and I can't live with the lies and betrayal anymore. What happens after that is up to him" Catherine turned and walked back into the lobby of the hospital.

**_What does Cath have to tell Steve and will Steve ever forgive her?_**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Thank you so much for all the reviews and comments. I am thrilled that you are enjoying this story. Please keep the comments coming; they do have some influence in the direction that this is going.**_

She carefully entered the room trying not to get caught by the nurse that had adamantly stressed the fact that he was not ready for visitors. Sneaking quietly to his bedside, she slowly leaned in and gently placed a kiss on his cheek. Suddenly she felt a strong grip on her wrist and a sudden smile appeared on Steve's face.

"Hey gorgeous" he whispered

"Hey, Sailor" She responded "How do you feel?"

"Right now I feel fine, but I have a feeling as soon as these pain meds wear off, it's going to hurt like hell" He kept his grip on her wrist

"You can let go of me, I'm not going to run away or anything" She smiled

"Are you ok?" He asked as he released his grip

"I should ask you that" She responded as they gazed into each other's eyes

"I'll live. You didn't do anything stupid, like confess to any crimes, while I was in surgery did you?" he asked reluctantly

"No, an amazing thing happened. Some new evidence was discovered that placed Miles at the crime scene, so the Governor closed the case. "She rolled her eyes

"Blame it on the dead guy. I guess I am not the only guardian angel you have" He smirked

"No you're not. Actually, that is what I need to talk to you about." She suddenly got very serious "You see Steve; there is one more thing that I need to tell you. It's about that other guardian Angel of mine"

"Ok. You aren't going to tell me that your married or something, are you?" Steve was afraid of what her answer might be.

"No! Oh God no! Of course not. Listen, it's about who I work for" she was surprised of his remark

"The CIA. I kind of figured that part out. "He was teasing her

"Stop turning this into a joke. I work for someone whom I admire very much. Miles had recommended me for a position with a … let's just say… a special branch of the agency. I was recruited against my will at first, but then I grew to love the job. But there has been one factor that I had to keep secret and it has been eating away at me for years and I need you to know what it is." She had trouble maintaining eye contact

"Ok" Steve noticed that she was very uncomfortable and that raised his concern.

"Before I tell you I need you to promise me something" she was adamant that he agreed

"yeh, sure,Ok" he answered immediately and without thinking

"You can't tell anyone. You can't try to find out any more information, and you can't go searching for answers. Do you understand?"

"Cath, what are you talking about. Who do you work for?" he was confused

"I work for" she hesitated "Dee Gar, except that's not her real name, her real name is Doris McGarrett, Your mother."

Steve's eyes widened at her response and his brows twitched. He carefully sat up in the bed, twitching at the pain in his abdomen. "But she's dead. I don't understand. Cath, are you sure? Where is she?"

"I can't tell you that, I am so sorry Steve" She bit her lower lip as she waited for a response

"How long have you known?" He questioned

"A long time." She nodded

"Is that why you are with me? To keep tabs on me for my dead mother?" he was starting to get angry

"No, of course not, I was with you before. I think that's partially why she recruited me. I need you to understand that I hated keeping this from you. It was the hardest thing that I have ever done in my entire life. I don't expect you to ever forgive me for this" there was desperation in her voice

"How could you not tell me this? You know how much her death affected my life." He looked at her, waiting for some sort of response. There was none.

There was a moment of complete silence. Steve tilted his head in an effort to loosen the tightened neck muscles that suddenly felt stiff. Catherine stood and simply starred at him, waiting for him to say something.

"Come here" he motioned for her to come closer

She hesitantly approached and leaned down to get closer to him. He lovingly grabbed the back of her neck and gently caressed her hairline when he suddenly tightened his grip and tugging at her hair, he pulled her closer to him. "Tell me where she is" His breath brushed against her face and the glare from his eyes pierced her heart like a dagger.

"You are hurting me" she whispered as tears flooded her eyes.

Tightening his grip he asked again "Where is she?"

"I told you that I can't tell you" she reached down and as a last resort pressed his freshly bandaged wound causing him to release his grip on her and grab for his abdomen. She immediately backed away from his reach and as she approached the exit said "I am so sorry".

Steve immediately regained his composure and reaching for the IV he pulled them out and turned to get out of bed. As his legs touched the floor, they collapsed beneath him, leaving him stranded on the ground.

Catherine ran out of the room and down the hallway of the hospital. Danny was walking towards Steve's room when he witnessed her sprinting towards him. He reached out to stop her, but all she did was push him aside as she ran out of the doors.

Danny at first stood in place and for a second contemplated whether to chase after her or go to Steve's room. He decided to go after her and as he exited the hospital he realized that his attempt to catch her was futile. _Damn she's fast_ he thought to himself. Turning himself around, he ran back to Steve's room. Steve was sitting on the floor alone and clearly in shock. The IV's dangled from the edge of the bed as several nurses ran into the room to see what had happened.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Because if you don't want to continue living, I am more than happy to do it for you; that way we can all be put out of our misery!" Danny began ranting as the nurses turned to give him a nasty look.

"Shut up and get me back into bed" Steve was in no mood to argue with Danny

The nurses proceeded to reconnect the IV and after a stern lecture about trying to get out of bed, they left the room and allowed the two men their privacy.

"What the Hell happened? What the Hell did she say to you? Oh wait let me guess, you can't tell me it's classified!" Danny was very upset. "I want to help you. I want to help her, but the two of you are making this very difficult with all your lies and secrets"

"Danny, sit down and I'll tell you everything" Danny sat on the edge of Steve's bed and Steve proceeded to tell Danny everything that had happened and everything that was said. "I can't express to you how important it is that you never tell anyone about any of this"

"Wow! So let me get this straight. Catherine was working with Bartlett and never told you. She was the sharpshooter that shot WoFat after you spent two years trying to capture him alive, and the topper to all this is that she was working with your mother, the mother that you thought was dead, and never told you. This is the woman that you said you trust more than you trust me. This is so messed up." Danny knew there were secrets, but this was beyond anything that he would have imagined.

"She had no choice, Danny" Steve was defending her actions

"Are you kidding me? You are actually defending her? You are either delirious from the drugs running through your system, or you are so whipped that you can't think straight" Danny hands were flailing everywhere. He could not believe that Steve was defending her.

"There has to be an explanation for all this. I love her Danny. I know that she didn't do any of this to intentionally hurt me. It's part of the job. There are secrets that I had kept from her. I owe her the benefit of the doubt. I owe her a lot." Steve had bowed his head as he tried to hold back the pain that was beginning to surface. "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be who I am today. You wouldn't understand, but something happened years ago that brought us together and… I owe her … I just do" Steve looked at Danny almost begging for his understanding.

**2006**

Gunfire and explosions penetrated the area. The mist was thick and the jungle had become a muddy death trap.

"We're trapped, McGarrett, what do we do?" Taylor and the other members of SEAL team 3 stood and waited for a directive

Steve had to admit he had no idea what to do. He was in charge and the simple mission had gone completely array. "We fight our way through. There is a small village 10 clicks north, friendlies. We can make it"

"McGarrett says we can make it, so we do what he says, right guys" Tony Rollins could feel the mistrust of the others on the team. As much as they admired McGarrett, they were not sure he was ready for this and that his sudden upgrade had come strictly due to his relationship with Commander White

"Let's go" Shouted McGarrett

The team made their way through the jungle and it appeared that they had eluded the enemy. Steve signaled the men to stop just outside the village. "Are you sure that this is a friendly village sir?" Johnson asked

"Yes, I am sure. Tony you come with me and we'll check it out. Guys cover us, just in case. Taylor, see if you can get a radio signal?" McGarrett ordered as he and Rollins ran toward the village.

All seamed quiet, as if the village had been abandoned. They checked each hut, verifying that the area was in fact clear. The two men walked casually from one hut to the other. McGarrett was sure that the village had been abandoned and admittedly had let his guard down. Walking a few paces in front, Steve had turned to speak to Tony "So Tony, what do I gotta do to get your sister to go out with me?"

Rollins laughed "What makes you think I want you to go out with her?"

Steve paused to adjust the strap of his rifle "Awe come on Tony, you know I'm good for her"

Rollins had suddenly noticed a glare shining from one of the outer structures and ran to Steve shouting "Get down! Get down!" as his body tackled McGarrett. Shots fired from every direction and the lone figure fell from the roof top. McGarrett carefully grabbed Rollins and dragged him as he ran for cover. Gunfire erupted and they were caught in the middle of a full-fledged attack.

Steve managed to take cover behind an abandoned truck and had gently laid Tony's body on the ground. Blood was pouring from Tony's mouth as Steve tried desperately to find the wound. Rollins grabbed McGarrett's shirt and pulled it closer. "I'm not going to make it, Sir." He coughed. "Just ask her. Take care of my sister for me, ok? Tell her she was the best sister a guy could have" The final breaths left from him as he lay there still in Steve's arms.

The gunfire increased and planes flew overhead, dropping bombs on the village. "McGarrett, we gotta go! Now! Leave him, grab the tags and let's go!" Taylor shouted

"No, I won't leave him!" Steve lifted Tony over his shoulders and ran into the jungle.

_**Present time**_

"That wasn't your fault. So what are you going to do?" Danny ask

"I don't know. I need to get out of here, I need to fix this." Steve was focused "I need to find my mother. Catherine knows where she is and I need to know why she is hiding from her children. Mary and I deserve and explanation. Cath is the only one that has this information and I WILL get it out of her"

_**Will Steve forgive her? Will he get her to tell him where his mother is?**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**The chapter some of you have been asking for. **_

Steve sat at the edge of the hospital bed carefully trying to tie the laces on his boots. The pain of his wound made bending difficult and at that point he wondered to himself why he didn't ask Danny to bring his slippers instead. He didn't sleep all night and all he could think about was Catherine and his mother. He had spent all of his adult life believing his mother was dead. He had always found it difficult to trust people, especially since he found out that his mother's death was not an accident but a car bomb. Catherine had been the one person that he had always been able to confide in and found her to be not just a lover, but his best friend. He was having a difficult time processing her betrayal. She was the one person he has been able to depend on and trust, only to have been betraying him for all these years.

The door to his room suddenly opened and a woman dressed in full surgical scrubs entered the room. Her hair was covered with a surgical cap and her face mask only revealed the deep blue of her eyes. She closed the door behind her and turned the lock to make sure that there was no interruption.

Drawn from his deep thoughts, Steve was startled and felt a small sense of panic as he scanned the room looking for something to use as a weapon. _Why don't I have my gun?_ He wondered, as he tightened his body, waiting for an attack, the woman removed her mask and cap to reveal her true identity.

"Mom?" Steve asked in disbelief

"Yes, Stevie, it's me" she responded as she lunged forward and embraced him.

His face was pressed against her chest as her arms held him tightly. He could feel her heart pulsing against his cheek as the tears flowed from his eyes. Carefully she released her grip. She held his face in her hands and examined the features of his face. She smiled "you look just like your grandfather" she noted

"Mom" Steve said

She interrupted "I don't have much time and I know that you have a lot of questions that I can't answer"

Steve interrupted "I don't understand, how? Why? Why would you pretend to be dead? How could you do this to your family?" he pleaded with her.

"I can't tell you that Stevie. I can't. I shouldn't be here, but I made a promise to someone and I needed to keep this promise" She looked at him with love "I have always been with you. Joe has kept me informed about all your accomplishments. I am so proud of you, Stevie. Please know that."

"Why? I don't understand why" he pleaded

"Listen Stevie, I have to go now. I can't explain, just know that I was protecting you and Mary. I was just trying to keep everyone safe. This goes deep, very deep. There are factors here that you will never know about. I am begging you to stop your investigation. Please. Lives are at stake, this goes much higher than you could possibly imagine. If you stop now, you have a chance at a normal life. WoFat is dead, I have made sure of that, and as far as you and Mary are concerned, that is all that matters. Now that he is gone, you and Mary are no longer in danger."

"You mean Cath made sure of that, don't you?" He was harsh in his response

"She was following my orders." She responded in a condescending tone.

"It's a little difficult for me to believe anything that you have to say. You lied to me for 20 years. Cath lied to me. How long has she been doing your dirty work for you? You just couldn't see me happy, could you? You had to get her mixed up in this, whatever, the Hell this is." He was relentless

"I have moved on and you should too." she reached out for his hand "Don't blame Rollins for not telling you. She pleaded with me to allow her to tell you and I refused. There was just too much at stake. It's not her fault. She cares for you and has always been on your side"

**2011**

"I need to see her. Please tell her that Lt Rollins is here to see her" Catherine demanded as she stood outside of Doris McGarrett's office.

"She will see you now, you may proceed" The secretary showed Catherine through the doors

"Lieutenant, what can I do for you?" Doris asked

"It's Steve. He was captured in North Korea by WoFat. WoFat captured him and tortured him! What do you know about that?" Catherine was visibly upset.

"He's fine, isn't he? He was rescued, wasn't he?" she answered calmly

"Well, yes, but… he was tortured. Why wasn't I told? Do you even care? He's your son, Damn it!" Catherine accused

"Of course I care" She stood up from behind her desk "Who do you think arranged for Joe to go there? You think Williams has that kind of influence?"

Catherine rubbed her head and sat on one of the chairs that faced the desk "I am sorry for accusing you, it's just that I feel so helpless. I know that this is tearing him apart and I want to tell him about you. Don't you think it's time for him to know? Don't you think this has gone on too long?"

Doris walked from behind the desk and sat at the chair next to Catherine's "We can't. Not yet. WoFat is still free and as long as he is free, we are all in danger. The less Steve knows, the better off he is"

"I don't know if I could do this anymore. I want out. I want to get out of this mess once and for all. This is not who I am, this is not who Steve is. I just miss the old Steve. This whole WoFat case is consuming him. Its eating him up alive and I can't stand the fact that I know about you, about all this, and I have to lie to him. He continues to follow clues that aren't there. It's killing him and it's killing me" She pleaded

"I know that you love him and that you mean well, but trust me, telling him will only make things worse. The time will come when you will be released, until then, Patience my dear, patience" she held Catherine's' hand "When the time is right, I promise you I will tell him myself. You have my word"

**Present time**

"Is that who you made a promise to? She lied to me" Steve appeared unforgiving

"We all lied to you. I am so sorry for that. Don't let your stubbornness keep you from being happy. I know that you feel betrayed right now, but she was just doing her job, just like I was. I lost everything because of that and I don't want to see you repeat my mistake. I am aware that I have given up all my parental rights to give you advice, but love only comes once. Don't let this slip away. I truly hope that you will find a way to forgive her, or at least to understand why she did it. It really wasn't her fault, none of this was" Doris never lost focus on him as she spoke.

"Why would you involve her in this? Why her? Why would you drag her into this? If you were keeping tabs on me, then you would have known that she had nothing to do with all this. I tried to protect her from all this and you dragged her into the middle of it" He began to raise his voice

"She had a target painted on her back the minute you showed interest in her. Don't you get it? By having her work with me, I was keeping her safe. I was keeping you both safe" She wanted him to understand.

He hesitated "Are you spies? Is that what this has been all about? We could have helped you, Dad could have helped you. Why did you just run, why wouldn't you let anyone help you?" He continued "The agency could have helped you if WoFat was after you"

"Stevie, please, Listen, the agency did help me, but I had to leave alone. I had a job to do and I couldn't risk taking you and Mary with me. Just take my word for whatever its worth to you" She pleaded for him to understand

" Please answer just one question for me" he hesitated "Did Dad know that you were alive?" He asked

"No. He didn't and that was very difficult for me. It was important that he believed that I was dead, just as much as you and Mary. If he would have just stopped trying to get answers to questions that there were no answers to, he would still be alive. I blame myself every day for that. I am so sorry Stevie. Please know that I loved you, your father and Mary very much" she squeezed his hand tighter and releasing his grip, she unlocked the door and opened it. "Don't look for me. Goodbye"

Steve leaped from the bed and ran to her. He grabbed her and held her in his arms. "I love you, Mom"

She smiled and gently pulling his arms off of her, "I love you too." She raised the mask and covered her face again.

He watched as she disappeared down the hallway of the hospital.


	10. Chapter 10

_**This is it. The final chapter. Thank you all so very much for your support and I hope you enjoy it.**_

Catherine answered the door reluctantly after several knocks. She had spent the past two days locked in a hotel room, watching chick flicks and crying herself to sleep. She had bags under her eyes and they were red. Her hair was tossed in a ponytail.

"Kono, how did you find me?" She was surprised to see her at the door

"Really? I work for Five-0. You were pretty easy to find" she replied sarcastically

"Right, of course. Come in" she couldn't help but let out a small chuckle

"So what's with the bag?" Catherine pointed to the canvas bag that Kono had in her hands

"I wasn't sure if you were a vanilla, or rocky road, kind of a girl, so I got both" she revealed the two half gallon containers of Ice cream. "And you can't have a proper pity party without wine and potato chips. Two bottles enough?" she smirked

"Probably not, but I've got more" Catherine grabbed the wine from Kono's hand and refilled the glass on the night stand, retrieving another glass for Kono.

Kono kicked off her shoes and sat on the edge of the bed, next to Catherine. "So what are you watching?" she asked with a cringe

"Dear John" Catherine answered and started to laugh as the words left her lips

"Seriously? Of all the movies, you chose that one? That's a little cliché even for you" Kono grabbed the remote and changed the channel.

"Hey, it was on…spoon?" Catherine handed Kono a spoon as the two women opened the ice cream containers and began to eat.

"You look like crap by the way" Kono said to Catherine while continuing to change the channels in search of something to watch.

"Gee thanks." Pursing her lips, Catherine asked a question that bothered her since Kono arrived "So, did Steve send you to check on me?"

"Nope, I am here completely on my own" Kono answered without hesitation

"Why?" Catherine found it hard to believe that Kono wasn't spying on her

"Because we're friends. And this is what friends do" she looked at Catherine and smiled

"Really? I never had a female friend before. I mean not since high school" she stared at Kono and waited for a reaction

"Me neither. I was so focused on surfing and then being one of the few women in the Academy, I guess they felt threatened by me." Kono explained

"Yeh, me too. I mean Annapolis was tough enough and the other women were so competitive. Besides I always got along better with men. I guess having brothers made me sort of a tomboy" Catherine related to Kono

Kono raised her glass "to Tomboys"

"To Tomboys" Catherine raised her glass and gently touched the edge of Kono's

The two women began to laugh hysterically "Thank you Kono. I really needed this"

"I am glad that I can help" she refilled the glasses

"Why haven't you asked me what happened?" Catherine was happy that Kono was there, but she couldn't help but question her motives

"I don't care what happened. I mean I figured it has something to do with WoFat and Chin said something about the CIA being involved. But, seriously, it doesn't make a difference to me. You have been good to me and supported me when the guys got on my case about dating Adam. I know you talked to Steve about giving him a chance. Besides I like having you around at all those lame events the Governor makes us go to" Kono reached over and hugged Catherine "Listen, whatever it is, he'll realize that he was wrong and he'll come crawling back to you"

"He wasn't wrong. This time it is my fault and I am afraid that he will never forgive me for this" Catherine stood up and walked towards the balcony. She opened the sliding glass door and leaning against the railing, she watched the traffic below.

Suddenly there was a familiar knock at the door. Catherine suddenly turned and stared at Kono. "Don't" Catherine whispered as Kono approached the door.

Defiantly, she opened the door to find Steve standing there. He peered behind Kono and glanced in the room. "I know she's in there" He remarked

"Yes, she is" Kono grabbed her shoes and her purse. As she walked back towards the door she turned to Catherine and said "see, crawling back" and smiled, closing the door behind her.

Steve stood just inside the door in silence. He waited for Catherine to turn around and look at him. She stood just inside as the breeze from the open balcony doors gently brushed her hair.

"Can you please look at me?" he spoke softly

She turned to face him. Her eyes were flooded with tears and her hands were trembling. "What's that?" she referred to the box he held in his hand

"This?" he looked down to what he was carrying "it's a box of chocolates"

"Chocolates?" she repeated

"Yeh, cause nothing says I love you like drug store candy, right?" he threw the box on the bed and darted towards her. He grabbed her in his arms and held her tightly.

She was startled by his action and pushed him away; just enough to release the tight grip but not enough to cause him to remove his arms from her waist. He leaned in and kissed her.

"You taste like Rocky Road and red wine" he remarked

"You like?" she smirked

"Yeh, I like" he leaned in and kissed her again

They held each other for what felt like an eternity when she finally broke the silence. "I never thought I'd see you again. I don't know what to say. Why? Why are you here?" she looked him in the eye.

"Your guardian angel came and told me to forgive you. I always listened to my mother" He stared at her

Catherine pulled back "You saw her? You spoke to her?" she was surprised

"She said she made you a promise. She told me that you deserved my forgiveness" he waited for a reaction

"She actually kept her promise. I didn't think she would" she couldn't believe what he was saying to her "do you forgive me? I never meant for any of this to happen"

He moved closer to her and reached out, grabbing her shoulders. He gently brushed the strand of hair that fell just enough to cover her left eye. Rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs, he leaned closer to her and whispered "I love you no matter what".

"Just like that? You aren't going to try to get any other information from me? You aren't going to hang me off this balcony until I talk?" She doubted him

He couldn't help but smile at her comment "Cath, listen, I understand why you did it. I don't completely agree with you not telling me, but I am not going to lose you over this. I have lost so much and I want it to stop." He was sincere and waited for her respond.

"Wow. I don't know what to say" she leaned back and looked at him.

"Tell me you love me and let's move past this" He pulled her closer

"That simple? No strings attached?" she hesitated

"Yes, it's that simple" He squinted, waiting for her to say the words to him.

"I love you" she smiled

"See, it wasn't that hard, now was it?" he teased

"No it was actually easy" her smile grew "but I do have one small problem, actually two"

"Ok" he answered with a slight tone of fear in his voice

"I don't have a job anymore or a place to live for that matter" she rolled her eyes

With a slight smirk he replied, "Oh, I think I could solve both those problems, quite easily" he grabbed her tighter and kissed her.

_**Meanwhile**_

Doris sat in her car and looking up, watched as the couple embraced just inside the balcony. She smiled at the sight but tears were falling as she reached for her cell phone and dialed.

"Agent 50007… Yes, I am ready for my new assignment…Thank you" she pressed the end button on the cell phone. Taking a deep breath and with a smile on her face, she tossed it out the window and into the dumpster at the end of the street. Taking one last look out of her rearview mirror, she pressed her foot on the gas pedal and drove away.

**The End**

**I hope you all enjoyed this and I look forward to your comments. I am very much looking forward to season 3 and I can't wait to see what TPTB will do with both Doris and Catherine's characters. Thank you all so much for your support and for taking the time to indulge in my story telling. **


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